Information reaching the Hot Pepper news desk is that all is set for the official launch of the Liberia Immigration Service (LIS) Visa on Arrival today, Monday, February 3, 2025 by His Excellency President Joseph N. Boakai at the LIS headquarters in Mamba Point, Monrovia.
President Boakai is expected to be flanked by an array of top officials of his government, as well as officials of the diplomatic corps.
The Visa upon Arrival is an electronic platform developed by the LIS to help travelers upon arrival at the Roberts International Airport (RIA). Authorities of the LIS say they have seen the need to digitalize the institution’s services.
VISA upon Arrival, commonly known as “Airport Visa”, will for the first time be issued in Liberia soon, under the Boakai-led administration.
The visa upon arrival allows travelers to obtain a visa upon arrival in the country by plane. The process requires that travelers must follow the necessary steps in getting visa upon arrival in Liberia.
“When applying online, you must have an email account, upload passport biometric component, take a passport size photo with white background, do the payment to the LIS system, receive notification of successful payment by the system and save confirmation page to email,” a LIS press release said.
However, authorities of the LIS noted that the Visa upon Arrival confirmation page is not the actual visa upon arrival: passengers arriving at the RIA will need to display the approved visa upon arrival confirmation document for LIS officers assigned at the airport to authenticate, followed by fingerprint before issuing the Liberia-visa-upon-arrival sticker within the traveler’s passport.
According to information, the sticker has a lot of security details meant to protect holders of legitimate passport.
At the same time, President Boakai is expected to also launch LIS Re-Entry Permit and Special Cards.
These cards will be issued to non-ECOWAS citizens in Liberia during approved stay without needing to apply for a visa upon arrival each time.
The Liberia Immigration Service (LIS) new electronic platforms does not apply to ECOWAS citizens because of the community’s protocols on free movement of its citizenry in the region.
Since the procurement of the LIS visa upon arrival and Re-entry Permit and Special Cards, travelers around the globe have been expressing happiness over the entire process. Previously, LIS issued manual visa to travelers coming into Liberia.
The Government of Liberia, headed by Ambassador Joseph N Boakai, says it is committed to transforming every sector of Liberia.